Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay and one of the ten most populous cities in California, with a population of over 440,000.1 Located across the bay from San Francisco, Oakland combines a working seaport, a diverse residential population, and a high-volume call load that makes it one of the busiest law enforcement environments in the state. The Oakland Police Department (OPD) employs approximately 618 sworn officers and is actively recruiting trainees and lateral candidates to grow that number.2 Below are the requirements, training, salary, and career path for OPD police officers.

Oakland Police Officer Requirements

The Oakland Police Department holds entry-level applicants to specific minimum qualifications for the Police Officer Trainee classification:

  • Be at least 21 years old by the time the police academy ends
  • Be a US citizen or in the process of applying for US citizenship
  • Possess a valid California driver’s license by the date of hire
  • Hold a high school diploma or GED equivalent
  • Have no felony convictions and no other convictions that would prevent carrying a firearm

The application starts online through the City of Oakland’s job portal. The selection sequence runs from the written examination, physical ability test, and oral interview through a background investigation, the chief’s interview, and a conditional offer of employment subject to medical and psychological evaluation.3

For more information about becoming a law enforcement officer in a major city, see 10 Steps to Becoming a Police Officer on our home page. To start an application, visit the Join Oakland PD recruitment site.

Oakland Police Academy

OPD operates its own basic training academy, which runs approximately six months on a full-time, paramilitary basis.3 Coursework covers California criminal and constitutional law, patrol procedures, use of force, defensive tactics, firearms, emergency vehicle operations, first aid, report writing, community relations, and crisis response, meeting standards set by the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST). Trainees attend Monday through Friday with periodic evening and weekend exercises. After graduating from the academy, recruits complete approximately six months of field training before transitioning to solo patrol assignments.2

Salary, Benefits, and Jobs Outlook

OPD pays Police Officer Trainees during the academy and moves them to the sworn Police Officer pay scale upon graduation. Trainees earn a single rate set by the current job bulletin, while sworn officers progress from entry to top step over five years of annual step increases.4,5

Service TimeAnnual Base SalaryMonthly Base
Police Officer Trainee (academy)$90,030.96$7,502.58
Sworn Officer (entry)$106,355.64*$8,862.97
Sworn Officer (top step, after 5 years)$141,639.12*$11,803.26

*Annual figures for sworn officers derived from the published monthly base rate; OPD publishes sworn pay on a monthly basis.

Total compensation reaches roughly $148,400 per year at top step once differentials and incentives are added.5 Additional pay and incentives include 1.5% for an associate’s degree, 4.5% for a bachelor’s, and 5.5% for a master’s; $50 per month for bilingual fluency; 7.5% for assignment as a field training officer or certified training officer; 6.25% for swing shift; and 8.25% for night shift.5 Officers are enrolled in the CalPERS pension system and receive medical, dental, and vision benefit options, life insurance, paid sick leave, vacation, holidays, a deferred compensation plan, an employee assistance program, flexible spending accounts, and commuter benefits.5

In California, employment of police and sheriff’s patrol officers is projected to grow 3.4% from 2022 to 2032, with approximately 5,180 new positions added each year on average, according to Projections Central.6 Hiring at OPD specifically depends on attrition, the size of each academy class, and the city’s public safety budget. Find current Oakland police openings on our jobs board.

Career Advancement at OPD

All OPD officers begin in patrol, where they build the foundation for any later move into a specialty unit or supervisory rank. Promotional ranks within the department include Sergeant, Lieutenant, Captain, Deputy Chief, Assistant Chief, and Chief of Police, with promotional eligibility tied to civil service examinations and time in rank.3 Specialized assignments available to experienced officers include criminal investigations, the Crime Reduction Team, traffic enforcement and motors, K-9, SWAT, and the Special Victims Unit.

Cities and Police Departments Near Oakland

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, approximately 7,860 police and sheriff’s patrol officers work in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont metropolitan area, with a mean annual wage of $128,430 as of May 2024.7 The metro area covers Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo counties and is one of the largest law enforcement labor markets in California. Officers seeking opportunities elsewhere in the East Bay or across the bay can also explore positions with the Berkeley Police Department, the Hayward Police Department, the San Francisco Police Department, and the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office. For more information about police departments across the state, see our California page.

Additional Resources

Oakland Police Department Contact

1. US Census Bureau, QuickFacts, Oakland city, California, Population estimates July 1, 2024 (V2024): 443,554: https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/oaklandcitycalifornia/PST045224
2. KTVU FOX 2, “Oakland police grow by 14 officers – but department says more needed,” January 16, 2026: https://www.ktvu.com/news/oakland-police-grow-14-officers-more-needed
3. City of Oakland, Police Officer Hiring Process: https://www.oaklandca.gov/Public-Safety-Streets/Police/Join-the-Oakland-Police-Department-OPD/Police-Officer-Hiring-Process
4. City of Oakland, Police Officer Trainee (198B) job bulletin, Exam 26-PS169-04/APR (opened April 4, 2026): https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/oaklandca/jobs/5296763/police-officer-trainee
5. Join Oakland PD, Pay and Benefits: https://www.joinoaklandpd.com/
6. Projections Central, Long-Term Occupational Projections, California, Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers, 2022-2032: https://projectionscentral.org/longterm
7. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2024 OEWS, San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: https://www.bls.gov/oes/2024/may/oes_41860.htm